Portable information terminals such as smartphones have recently widely been used. Opportunities for users to make use of various network services through such portable information terminals have also increased.
In addition, what is called social network service (SNS) has also become prevalent. The SNS can be made use of not only through personal computers but also through portable information terminals, and SNS made use of only through portable information terminals is also provided. Actually, more users are enjoying SNS with their portable information terminals. In such SNS, users can read postings.
In order for a user to disseminate information, conventionally, no content has been posted unless the user actively inputs characters or selects a taken photograph. Therefore, since an amount of disseminated information is different based on difference in motivation to disseminate information for each user, there has been a room for improvement in promotion of communication.
An object of this disclosure is to provide an information processing system, an information processing apparatus, a non-transitory storage medium encoded with a computer readable program, and a method of controlling an information processing apparatus, which allow promotion of communication between users.
In a system including a first terminal, a second terminal, and a server according to one aspect, the server includes a memory which stores a plurality of pieces of question information and stores relation information as to whether or not a first user of the first terminal and a second user of the second terminal have prescribed relation with each other and a first processor. The first processor automatically selects one piece of question information from the plurality of pieces of question information and transmits the selected question information to the first terminal. The first terminal includes a first display and a second processor. The second processor causes the first display to display a character and question information in association with the character, accepts input of answer information to the question information from the first user, and transmits the accepted answer information to the server, the answer information not including information on the second terminal. The first processor of the server receives the answer information, determines whether or not the first user and the second user have prescribed relation with each other based on the relation information stored in the memory, and transmits the received answer information to the second terminal when the user of the first terminal and the user of the second terminal have prescribed relation with each other. The second terminal includes a second display and a third processor. The third processor receives the answer information from the server and causes the second display to display the character and the answer information in association with the character.
An information processing system in which a plurality of terminals can communicate data through a server according to one aspect. A first terminal includes a question event processing portion which executes a question event to have a character displayed to a user who operates the first terminal and to output question information in association with the character, an answer acceptance portion which accepts input of answer information to the question information from the user, and an answer transmission portion which transmits the answer information accepted by the answer acceptance portion to the server. A second terminal includes an answer reception portion which receives the answer information from the server and an answer event processing portion which executes an answer event to have a character displayed to a user who operates the second terminal based on the answer information received by the answer reception portion and to output the answer information in association with the character.
In the exemplary embodiment, the answer transmission portion of the first terminal transmits the answer information including information associated with the character to the server. The answer reception portion of the second terminal may receive the answer information from the server, and the answer event processing portion of the second terminal may execute the answer event to output the answer information through the character of the question event to another user based on the answer information received by the answer reception portion.
In the exemplary embodiment, the character includes a character associated with the user or a character associated with another user.
In the exemplary embodiment, the character includes an avatar representing the user or an avatar representing another user.
In the exemplary embodiment, the character is configured with a three-dimensional data.
In the exemplary embodiment, the question event processing portion may arrange the character in a virtual space and have the character displayed as the question event.
In the exemplary embodiment, the answer event processing portion of the second terminal may provide animated representation of the character in accordance with the answer information and output the answer information.
In the exemplary embodiment, the question event processing portion may have the character and the question information associated with the character displayed.
In the exemplary embodiment, a plurality of second terminals may be provided, and the server may transmit the answer information received from the first terminal to each of the second terminals.
In the exemplary embodiment, the answer transmission portion of the first terminal may transmit the answer information accepted by the answer acceptance portion to the server without designating a destination of the second terminal.
In the exemplary embodiment, the server includes an association information storage portion which stores association information on at least one second terminal associated with the first terminal and a transmission management portion which has the answer information received from the first terminal transmitted to an associated second terminal based on the association information.
In the exemplary embodiment, the answer acceptance portion of the first terminal may accept input of a word as the answer information to the question information from the user, and the answer event processing portion of the second terminal may output as the answer event, an answer sentence including the word in the answer information through the character to another user based on the answer information received by the answer reception portion.
In the exemplary embodiment, the server includes a question information storage portion which stores a plurality of pieces of question information in advance, a question information selection portion which selects at least one piece of question information from the plurality of pieces of question information regardless of an operation by a user other than the user who operates the first terminal, and a question information transmission portion which transmits the selected question information to the first terminal.
In the exemplary embodiment, the answer event processing portion of the second terminal may output the question information in association with the character to the user who operates the second terminal after the answer information is output.
In the exemplary embodiment, the first terminal further includes a specific information transmission portion which transmits specific information of which destination is designated as the second terminal, and the second terminal further includes a specific information reception portion which receives the specific information from the server and a specific event processing portion which executes a specific event to output the specific information through the character to another user based on the specific information received by the specific information reception portion.
An information processing apparatus capable of communicating data with another information processing apparatus through a server according to one aspect includes a question event processing portion which executes a question event to have a character displayed to a user who operates the information processing apparatus and to output question information in association with the character, an answer acceptance portion which accepts input of answer information to the question information from the user, an answer transmission portion which transmits the answer information accepted by the answer acceptance portion to the server, an answer reception portion which receives answer information transmitted from another information processing apparatus from the server, and an answer event processing portion which executes an answer event to output the answer information through a character to the user based on the answer information received by the answer reception portion.
A program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus capable of communicating data with another information processing apparatus through a server according to one aspect causes the computer of the information processing apparatus to function as a question event processing portion which executes a question event to have a character displayed to a user who operates the information processing apparatus and to output question information in association with the character, an answer acceptance portion which accepts input of answer information to the question information from the user, an answer transmission portion which transmits the answer information accepted by the answer acceptance portion to the server, an answer reception portion which receives answer information transmitted from another information processing apparatus from the server, and an answer event processing portion which executes an answer event to output the answer information through a character to the user based on the answer information received by the answer reception portion.
A method of controlling an information processing apparatus capable of communicating data with another information processing apparatus through a server according to one aspect includes the steps of executing a question event to have a character displayed to a user who operates the information processing apparatus and to output question information in association with the character, accepting input of answer information to the question information from the user, transmitting the accepted answer information to the server, receiving answer information transmitted from another information processing apparatus from the server, and executing an answer event to output the answer information through a character to the user based on the received answer information.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.